1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of Internet multimedia content service. More particularly, the invention provides a system and method for incorporating multimedia items into an Internet website by combining a customized publisher web page with still picture image, audio or video multimedia items. A multimedia item includes, by way of example only, a digital movie trailer, a piece of a digital song, a short promotional multimedia “teaser”, or even a longer multimedia item.
2. Description of the Related Art
Aggregators of digital content develop sites which aggregate content. However, aggregators ordinarily do not distribute or syndicate the content. Furthermore, searching for content among various sites which aggregate content can be unwieldy. Each search performed returns dozens of links to individual pieces of multimedia (related or unrelated). Sites which contain aggregated content principally are therefore destination sites.
One example of a conventional business to consumer multimedia aggregator site is Streamsearch. Streamsearch has agreements with multimedia providers whereby it showcases the provider's audio and video content in its search engine. Streamsearch has a vast array of searchable multimedia content, all to be viewed at Streamsearch.com. Streamsearch does not distribute. It is a typical business-to-consumer site, where users can go to listen or view multimedia.
As traditional flat content syndication sites have recently begun to incorporate multimedia, they do not have much to offer. The multimedia that they do have is available as a complement to their text articles. Furthermore, these syndication sites dictate what content is available to their clients. This typically excludes all local multimedia (music, theater, sports, etc.) and the possibility of multimedia classified and personal ads. In addition to the foregoing disadvantages, these syndicated services are unfortunately very expensive.
iSyndicate, one such flat content syndication site, provides text content to sites. iSyndicate provides sites with bundled content packages ranging from a Rollingstone.com music search box provided by Rolling Stone to a stock ticker quoting system provided by Quote.com to an article provided by the New York Times. iSyndicate has arrangements with over 350 content Providers and services a network of over 100,000 sites. iSyndicate Express is a product, in which iSyndicate provides content, and a customized hyperlink to be embedded in the Publisher website.
Another conventional company in the flat content syndication market is Screaming Media. The company receives news articles and other proprietary content from provider sites. Screaming Media then distributes this content to registered subscriber websites based on a profile. Screaming Media charges both providers and subscriber websites for content distribution and proprietary content enhancement respectively.
Reuters.com is an example of a specific multimedia syndicator. Their multimedia service focuses on top general-interest news, such as a Presidential summit or an earthquake. Major breaking stories are updated throughout the day. Online text news reports plus complementary multimedia content is delivered in ready-to-use, graphically designed, HTML pages, so publisher sites do not have to invest in the infrastructure or staffing of a newsroom. The Reuters.com service is only their news, albeit an excellent but extremely expensive service.
Only recently, a few sites have begun to syndicate a broad selection of multimedia content. One such site is VideoAXS. VideoAXS receives generic news stories & syndicates them out to Newspaper websites. VideoAXS displays the video in a custom pop-up window, but the customization process is not automated and the content offering is fixed and limited. Another new multimedia syndication service is Lineup.com. Lineup has categories such as movies & music, but very little content. Once again (as with every service on the Internet) the content displayed on the site is the only option. There is no ability for their clients to obtain all of the audio & video they need to compliment their sites.
The Internet multimedia subsector is still largely fragmented, highly specialized, and lacks any commercial and uniting infrastructure. Unfortunately, existing sites are media specific, and require informed Users to seek out specific sites to view multimedia. The average User will frequent their daily newspaper or weekly magazine when on the Internet. There still remains a need to bring rich multimedia directly to Publisher's traditional sites to enhance users' overall experience.
Consequently, there exists an unmet need for a system and method for locating a multimedia item without having to search the entire Internet or entire web page. Further, there is still a need for a system and method where a publisher can simply select a multimedia item and this multimedia item is customized and posted on his site. Furthermore a system by which the Publisher can direct any content owner on the internet to add audio & video for inclusion in their site. An open platform, multimedia service that allows for full customization of content. Anything from local music listings to classified ads to little league baseball games could be complimented with audio and video using this system.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method and system that makes it possible to receive, categorize and seamlessly post multimedia onto a website.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and a system for incorporating the multimedia items into a customized web page, which can be later dynamically accessed by the end-user.
One advantage of the present invention is its distribution model. Conventional sites are media specific, and require informed users to seek out specific sites to view multimedia items. The invention will provide publishers with an infrastructure network to readily obtain multimedia from providers that will enhance information and presentation on publisher websites.
Another advantage of the invention is that it offers a customizable presentation of every element for seamless site integration.
The present invention avoids the failing of the prior art by providing a flexible content management tool, customizable multimedia box, and seamless integration without requiring storage of any multimedia on the publisher server.
Other purposes and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.